We homeschool for many different reasons. No homework, was not actually on the original list..but it has been an unexpected blessing. I am sitting here, blogging, while 5 kids play on the floor around me. They are not sitting at the table working on homework, but playing with the playmobil sets that live permanently (it seems) in my front room. Another blessing is the reality of 5 kids, ages 13 down to 6, -playing with each other.
"Another attraction of Charlotte's [Mason] philosophy is that her schools never gave homework to students under the age of thirteen. When a child follows her method, there is no need for homework in the elementary years, because the child immediately deals with the literature at hand and proves his mastery by narrating at the time of the reading....
...Instead of homework, my children enjoy cozy evenings with good books and parental attention."
-A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola,pg.15
Unexpected bursts of creativity are another bonus blessings. The first photo is of a fairy house Meg and Josie built in a neighbor's garden. The second photo above, the girls took a few mornings ago when we had some unexpected fog roll in. The things they think up usually surprise me. I am really glad that their childhood is cushioned with lots of free time to be creative.
Why I love homeschooling